Tent



E. T. ONEAL.

TENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 17. 1921.

2 2. 9 1T 8 m M d2 m ,w a P7 E. T. ONEAL.

TENT.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN. 1T, 1921.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

EDWIN T. ONEAL, or srarnerrnnn, 'iirrssonnr.

TENT.

iaiosso.

s ecifieationef Letters Patent. P t nt d Ma 2 Application filed January: 17,1921. Serial No. 437,802.

To all w/lom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, EDWIN T. ONEAL, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident'of Springfield, in the county of Greene and State of Ililissouri, have invented certain. new and useful- Improve ments in Tents, of which the following is aspecification. a Q

The present invention has reference to improvements in tents and relates more par-' ticularly to a portable and collapsible type of'tent frame or skeleton, which can readily be set up and taken down by one person withoutthe use of tools or without the necessity of dismembering any of the parts, with the. exception of the canvas covering. A tent, according to this invention, when collapsed occupies relatively little space and can readily be carried about or accommodated: on the .running'board of an. automobile or suspended therein from suitable supports. The tent provides two superimposed berths in the form of canvas ham mocks, which in thecollapsed state of the structure, are completely surrounded by the frame work and are thus protected against damage.

My invention will best be understood when described in connectionwith the accompanying drawings,'in which- Figure 1 illustrates a perspective front view of the tent frame all set up to receive the canvas covering and the two hammocks;

Figure 2 illustrates a rear elevation of the framepartly closed up;

' Figure 3 illustrates a similar end view with several parts left out for the sake of clarity. I

Figure 4 illustrates a' plan view of one of the hammocks;

Figure 5 illustrates a side view partly in section of the hinge and truss connection in the center and on lower face of each of the four hammock supporting side rails;

Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of another hinge and truss connection on the inside of each of the four side rails;

Figure 7 illustrates the pin and slot connection between the upper cross rails and the front corner posts; and a Figure 8 illustrates a plan of the articulated lower cross rails.

The tent structure essentially comprises four corner posts 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, which are normally, that is in the set up position, connected by two lower longitudinal rails 5 and tudinal bars 7 and 8, and by upperand lowerpairs of-cross rails 22, 42 and 23', 43 respectively. The upper longitudinal rails '7 and 8 are fulcrumed on the inside of the corner posts by the pivot pins ll, 12" and 11, 12 respectively, and the lower rails 5 and 6 are similarly pivoted to the corner posts, but is on theoutside thereof,-by the pins 9, 10 and 9, 10, as clearly shown in 1. Each rail similar halves, which 6 and two upper longiis composed of twoare connected inter mediate their extremities by, means of hinges 18 and each railis braced on the Truss under face as well as on the inside. members or straps 14 and 15am respew tiVQly fixed with halves and are connectable-at inner ends by means of the snap'connect'ion shown on a larger scalein Fig. 5. The inher endof one of the truss straps is'bent double into a loop 16 and a tongue or catch 17 is secured in this loop. The respective end of the other truss strap is providedwith a slot/18 designed to snap over the protruding catch 17 in the extended position of the rail. On the inside of each side rail a similar truss arrangement 'is' provided with the differencethat the two overlaptheir outer ends to the rail their ad a centping inner truss strap ends 19 and 2Ogare hingedly connected by the hinge bolt 21' so as to operate with and in the sense of the rail hinge 13, aswill be clear from Fig. 6.

The upper ends of the four corner posts are normall connected by cross rails 22 and 23, the rear ends of the latter being pivoted to the respective rear posts at 24c and 25 respectively and their front ends26 and 27 respectively hinged at 28' and 29 with capability of folding back upon the rail proper, as shown in Fig. 2.

To the front posts, 1 and 2 the cross rails are detachably secured'by means of the pin and slot connections 30 and 31 shown in F ig. 7, the one member 30 for instance the one with the pin 32'fixed to thecorner post,

and the other member 31 with .the slot 33 fixed to the cross rail. To the upper end of each front post are further hinged, as, at 34 and 35 respectively, the rafters 36 and 37, which are connected at the apex in any suitable readily detachable manner.

In the rear the frame is further strengthened by a cross-brace 38, composed of six members pivotally secured to one another at the points 39, 40 and 41 respectively and also with their outer ends to the rear corner posts at the points where the side railsare suspended; i a

The; ends of the frame are connected below by identical cross braces 42, each brace being composed of four members 43, 44, and 46, arranged in pairs and the outer extremities of each pair fulcrumed on the ing and are'secured to the upright rods by end-rings .52, in which the rods can readlly; slide during setting up or taking down.

The operation of the described parts, when taking down the frame from the set up position of Fig. lie the following 1 First disconnect the pin and-slot connection 32, 33 between the front corner posts 1 and 2 and the upper cross rails 22 and 23,

then fold extensions 26, 27 back upontheir cross rails and push these latter down when the joint at 42 will break ina downward direction, while thejoints in the braces 48 and 49 break upwardly. Next swing back the two rafters 36 and 37. about their hinges 34 and 35 respectively. Now 'unsnap all four side rails5, 6, 7 .and 8 and bend them through downwardly. .The joint39fin the rear cross-brace will hereby break downwards, while the j oints40 and 41-will break upwards. Now lift upward the One end of the frame and push forward, when the other frame. end will fall backward onto the ground. I By bringing the twoends together the parts will fold together from all directions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the hammocks completed folded in. "One person can set up or take downthis frame, but the operations can be considerably quick en'ed by two persons getting hold of the 7 two opposite frame ends and'then working toward or away from each other, as the case may be, the operatlve movements taking place in; four d fferent direct ons, as lt' were.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible tent frame of the character set forth,'in combination, corner posts,

rafters hingedly connected] at their outer ends to the respective corner posts, two-part foldable side rails, truss means for bracing said side rails below and inside when in the. extended operative position, a multipart rear cross-brace extending and operating in a vertical plane and in hinged con nection withthe two rear cornerposts at the points of fulcrum of said side rails, upper end rails secured to the respective rear corner posts by pivotal connection and to the respective front corner posts by a readily disconnectable connection, extensions to said upperend rails in hinged connection.

therewith, lower end brace structures each comprising a centrally hinged, horizontally extending four-part upper member of extended lozenge shape, and articulated, angularly directed two-part lower members pivotally. secured with their upper inner ends to the hingepintle of said upper endmemher and the outer ends ofsaid upper and lower members 'fulcrumed t0 the respective corner posts, and uprights fulcrumed above and below to the center of the upperend rail and lower end bracestructure respectively. 2. In a collapsible tent frame, in combination with the corner posts, doubly *braced side rails, eachcomprising two halves with a hinge connection therebetween, truss members secured with their outer ends to the under face of said rail halves, the one of said truss members having'a slot'near its inner free extremity and the other truss member presenting at its inner end a spacing member obtained by doubling backthe truss end upon itself to form a closed loop,

.a catch member protruding from said spacer loop and adapted to engage ins-aid registering end slot in the overlapping other truss member in the extended operative position ofthe rail with the two said rail'halves 1n ahnement,as1de truss arrangement com prising two members, rigidly secured at their outer extremit es to the insideof' the respective rail halves and their inner ends nngedly connected coaxially with thehinge axis of sald rail halves, and means spacing the said side member hinge connection away fromthe rail. .V

' EDWIN T. ONEAL, 

